


Christmas Dreams

by CaptainMeriderp



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 1P England/2P England, 2P England (Hetalia), Awkwardness, Budding Love, Christmas Fluff, Cute Ending, Fluff, Gakuen AU, Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainMeriderp/pseuds/CaptainMeriderp
Summary: On Christmas Eve, the snow is falling and a family tradition is kept. Only this time, Arthur plans for it to be used for something much more meaningful and special.Side Story to PolaroidsThis is my Christmas gift for those of y'all who are reading Polaroids and have given me the support to continue both here and on Tumblr. Thank you for all of your support and pushing me to keep going! <3
Relationships: 1p2pUK
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. I know it's Christmas Eve. Do you have plans?

"You want to take me ice skating? But isn't it Christmas Eve?" It felt as though Oliver were going through a bout of deja vu, as though in some form or fashion, like he had a conversation with Arthur like this before. Just sitting in his computer chair, phone resting on his desk next to him with his cat curled up comfortably on his lap. Gentle snowfall fluttered down outside of his bedroom window as it had for the past few days, leaving nothing more than a sea of white as far as the eye could see. Snow covering the ground, rooftops, everything. 

It was peaceful, this was one thing that Oliver always looked forward to come the winter if they didn't only get rain and sleet. It was the snow, especially as it looked now. It looked like the entirety of the outside was covered with soft clouds, even though he wasn't particularly fond of the cold, he and Liam had already made it outside a few times just to throw snowballs at each other. At least he had enough snow to also able to make a small snowman on the hood of his Mum's car. But ice skating? He could barely walk sometimes without tripping over his own feet, let alone trying to balance on ice skates.

"Yes, ice skating. If you are concerned about the roads, I know they have all already been salted and I just thought it would be nice to take you to the outdoor rink at Somerset House. They have a large Christmas tree in the middle of it and it is in my opinion one of the nicest rinks in London, you don't have to worry about your ticket, I will cover you for it. On top of that, if you wish to go, I have already secured us a ride there." 

Arthur didn't even fully understand himself why he thought to ask Oliver if he wanted to do something like this with him, he supposed it was because it was more of a Christmas tradition of his own. Every year on Christmas Eve since he was a boy, he would go to Somerset House to skate, usually with his family and Alfred's family. This year however was different, since the Jones' family had gone back to the States to spend time with their extended family and with his own elder brothers coming home for the holidays, they didn't really want to go. At the very least, Alex did agree to take them and drop them off if Oliver said yes in exchange for some of the cookies that Arthur had been given right before they went on holiday break.

"I-It isn't as though I am really concerned about the roads or getting there or anything, it's just that I don't have any skates--"

"They provide rentals there, I can cover that too."

"I-- I can't really skate all that well though..."

"And that's alright, if you need to hold onto the wall, that's okay. Or if you want to stay with me, I can help you keep your balance." Arthur by this time was already hoping that he would actually say yes, it was the perfect night to actually go. The cool, crisp air with no wind, the snow falling outside, he knew for a fact that the tree would be lit in it's entirety to lead to a beautiful glow around the ice. The Brit had a feeling that Oliver would fully enjoy it once he actually got there, he wouldn't let him fall if he could actually help it.

"You wouldn't let me fall?"

"Of course not, why would you think that I would let you fall? After all, I am the one inviting you out so why wouldn't I make sure that you are as comfortable as possible? This is a tradition at least that I want to keep, every year my and Alfred's families would go there on Christmas Eve and we would just skate until they kicked us out. But you know that the Jones' are out at the States and no one from my family wants to go this year, so I thought I would ask you about it." Scooting to where he was sitting on the side of his bed, batting in the direction of the soft meow that followed with his shifting movements. Turning his attention toward his own cat now curled up next to him, slowly scratching at his ears in turn.

"..." Oliver fell silent for a second, pondering over the offer that Arthur had made to him. He had to admit... It did sound nice. The festivities for his family had for the most part ended with the making of the Christmas sugar cookies and fudge, one batch just for him and another for the rest of the family. He was pretty sure that Owen and Liam were by now arguing over how to decorate the gingerbread house while Christmas movies were playing in the background. Scott was likely just watching the arguing happen over a beer while his Mum and Step-Father were up in their bedroom wrapping the gifts for the family.

"Ollie? You there?"

"Oh-- Yes, sorry I'm here! Um... Sure, I will go with you. That sounds nice, besides that, I have already done my baking for the night and Liam and Owen are fighting over the gingerbread house and I am pretty sure Scott is just laughing at them." Replying with a faint smile of his own, wringing at the bottom hem of his sweater. 

"Really? They are fighting over something that petty?" Arthur asked with a blink, continuing with his gentle scratching behind Biscuit's ears, earning him the low purrs that he so sought after.

"Oh you have no idea, this happens every year. Mainly since they both have a very specific vision for the gingerbread house, so every year they fight about it while Scott just laughs at them.

Though now I am curious, what's going on at your house right now?" Asking with a giggle of his own, beginning to pet at Cupcake's back all the while hearing the exasperated groan coming from the other end of the receiver.

"Oh, you know. Fighting over stupid things such as what Christmas movie is the best, who ate the last of the chex mix, or who is going to get stuck with kitchen duty after dinner tomorrow. Or who is going to get thrown out into the snow if they don't shut up in ten seconds, the normal things that you usually hear around this house every year. Alex has already said that he's gonna take us tonight so Drystan and Connor get stuck with helping with present wrapping tonight." Arthur was snickering by this point, at least he wasn't asked to stay back and do the normal grunt work that the night before the actual day usually called for. He was glad that he was being granted the tradition that loved so much, and now he was able to share it with someone else.

"What time to do I need to be ready by?" Oliver asked while he slowly began to roll in his chair, continuing with the absent-minded pets and scratching at his cat's head. Now he just had to remember to fully bundle up before Arthur and his brother planned to get there, as well as remember where he set down his ear muffs and his gloves.

"Uh... Be ready in thirty minutes? I can text you once we get there, I have to get fully bundled up myself and this will give you time to do so as well."

"I should ask, but I will let my brothers know that I am going and I can ask for forgiveness later."

"Yeah, but I think they would be more glad and relieved that you are not being as much of a shut in as you told me that you had been in the past." Arthur was of course teasing, but there was at least a kernel of truth in what he was saying. Of course it was all from what Oliver had told him as well, especially around the holidays. He wanted him to actually have a nice, memorable Christmas Eve.

"Yes, well it wasn't as though it was something that I could really help you know." Replying with a roll of his eyes and shooing Cupcake off of his lap before getting up and out of his chair to begin to rummage through his closet for his heavy coat, ear muffs, scarf, and gloves. He even began to wonder if he needed to put on a heavier sweater, or if what he was wearing was more than adequate. "Should I put on a heavy sweater?"

"I would if I were you, it is quite cold out there this evening." Arthur had gotten up off of the bed himself, phone placed on his nightstand as he began to get dressed himself to block out the cold that he knew was coming. 

"Alright, I will finish getting ready and I will see you in about half and hour then?"

"Perfect, I will text you when we get there. I will see you soon, and I hope you will be prepared for a few hours of being out on the rink. I will at least get you some hot chocolate while we are there if you get too chilled."

"That sounds wonderful... See you soon." Oliver smiled as he walked over toward his phone, pressing the button to end the call. As much as he was nervous about this new ordeal, he was genuinely excited at the exact same time. While he and Arthur did do things outside of school by themselves, something about this one seemed to be different. Far more... Special. 


	2. You Won't Let Me Fall, Will You?

“Thank you for doing this for me Alex, I actually didn’t expect you to agree to do it. Why did you say you would do it anyway?” Sitting in the front seat of his elder brother’s car which much to his mortification still reeked of cigarette smoke with a combination from the new to stale. Even now despite Arthur asking him not to, another cigarette rested in between Alex’s teeth with the crisp winter air coming in from the slightly cracked car window to allow the smoke a place to escape. Of course it was too much for him to at least do one that little thing for him, but if it was one thing he knew about his brother, was that he was a notorious chain smoker and no matter what, he wouldn’t stop that for anyone or anything.

“You think I wanted to stay home and just listen to Drystan bitch about stupid shit?” Bouncing the cigarette with his tongue, not averting his gaze from the road. His Scottish lilt Arthur could swear got even worse since going off to Uni in Edinburgh, sometimes making it more difficult for him to understand what he was saying. At least he sounded as though he was trying to make himself understood, though maybe not. It more than likely was a subconscious way to make a decent first impression on someone that his little brother actually spoke so highly of.

“You think I wanted to either? He was asking all sorts of questions about why I was still planning on going tonight, and with who.” Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned back in his car seat, pointing the heaters more towards him in an effort to try and combat the chill coming from the open car window.

“Why are yeh going anyway? Are yeh going with that kid you keep going on and on about? Aren’t your other friends going?”

“No, Alfred and Matthew went state-side with their Mum to go see their aunts, uncles, and cousins. As for Oliver, he has had a pretty shit track record on holidays from what he has told me, so I wanted to try and make at least one holiday a nice one for him.”

“That is… Unusually nice of yeh. What is this kid like anyway to make yeh go all soft and shit?” While it wasn’t normal for Alex to want to even think about prying into his little brother’s life especially since they really didn’t get along most of the time on the best of days anyhow, but it sounded as though a lot had happened since he left in June. As much as he didn’t want to admit to it out loud, his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.

“At least I do things out of the kindness of my own heart and not just to try and gain something.”

“Oi oi, there was no reason to get to be so defensive. I was asking a question since I know yeh better than a lot of others do, it’s really not normal for yeh to go out of yer way to do this kinda shit for someone else unless it’s yer other buddies across the street.”

Arthur knew full that Alex was right, this actually wasn’t normal behavior for him. It wasn’t normal for him to go out of his way to try and invite someone else on some kind of specific outing like this, that was something Alfred did and it was usually just for the small little group that they had formed over the course of the semester. However, this was something that actually was different.

It was special. Quite frankly in his mind, if anyone deserved it, it was Oliver.

“Right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get to be as snippy as I did, as for your previous question about what Oliver is like. You remember how I was when we were boys before Alfred pretty much forced his friendship on me?”

“When yeh were a sheepish little brat when you would cry to Mum every time we did something that yeh perceived was a slight against you?”

“…I wasn’t that bad. But take the sheepish bit times ten mixed with a sugary sweet personality once you actually get to know him and he actually starts to open up to people.”

“So he’s a kid with pretty crippling anxiety but is ‘sweet as pie’ once you get to know him, am I right?”

“…You have pretty much hit the nail on the head.”

“Thought so, I know your type when you get this complex to help someone in need.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Arthur asked with a clipped tone, arms crossing over his chest a he turned his full attention toward his brother only to be met with a shrug.

“All I’m sayin’ is that yeh got a type. And I thought that loud ass friend of yours had a pretty big hero complex.”

“I do not have a hero complex!”

“Then what do yeh call what yer doing for this kid? Why is this kid so special? Not like I’ve really ever seen yeh actually go out of yer way to help someone out like this, so there has got to be a reason as to why yer doing this.”

“And why in the bloody hell should I even have a reason?! Turn left here, his house is the one on the left corner.” At the very least, Arthur was relieved once their turn onto Oliver’s street couldn’t have come quick enough. It got his brother back to fully focusing on the road rather than the awkward conversation that they were having that was merely heading into a direction that he didn’t want to address. Upon coming up to what looked to be a semi-decent sized two-story home, the roof line was lit up with simple Christmas lights unlike a few of their neighbors whom seemed to take the decorating fairly far. Including one house where the entirety of their roof was lit up with lights and in their front yard was a large and bright Nativity scene.“This is the house, so stop at the curb here.”

All of Arthur’s instructions were met with an eye roll from Alex, doing as he was asked all the while while his little brother typed out a quick text.

**[SMS]** : Hey, we are here. Come on outside.

**[SMS]** : Alright! :D I will be right out, and Mum said I could go anyway as long as I am home before midnight.

**[SMS]** : That shouldn’t be an issue. See you in a second.

After sending that final quick text, Arthur sat his phone face down onto his lap before turning his attention toward the opening and closing of the front door. A fully, heavily bundled up figure slowly making it’s way down the porch steps, down the concrete walkway, and into the back seat of the awaiting car. All he could see until Oliver pulled down the scarf covering half off his face were those azure eyes and just a hint of his pink hair poking out from underneath his beanie and coat hood. “Good evening, do you think that you are bundled up enough or do you need to go back inside and put on more?”

“Ha ha, that is quite funny. Oh– G-Good evening! Thank you for coming to pick me up and for inviting me to come along, I really do appreciate it!”

Alex’s brow rose at the sudden shift in the teenagers’ tone when he addressed Arthur’s teasing and then shifting to him, there was a hint of a stutter there. Sounds like his little brother wasn’t actually joking when he told him previously about this kid that he didn’t handle being around new people all that well and that his nerves a lot of the time would just get the better of him. “Yeh know there’s really no reason to start stuttering like a fuckin’ rabbit. Yer name is Oliver, correct? Heard a lot about yeh.”

“…Good things I hope.” Oliver found himself more muttering under his breath as he settled back into his seat and seat belted himself in, actually surprised it seemed as though Arthur had been speaking about him while he wasn’t there. Were they good things? Or was he talking badly about him behind his back? No, that couldn’t be true since if he did, then why would he invite him to something like this on Christmas Eve of all nights? As he was constantly being told, he was likely worrying far too much as he tended to do.

“Bloody hell– Of course I would say only good things about you!” Arthur sighed, turning around in his seat to look back at the heavily bundled mass sitting in the back seat while the movement of the car came once more toward their intended destination. “Oh, I almost forgot. Alex, this is my friend Oliver. Ollie, this is my arsehole of a brother Alex.”

“Yeh know, I can dump off yer arse right now on the side of the road and just take yer friend to the rink and yeh can walk yer arse home in the snow. How does that sound?”

“You wouldn’t. You know Mum would practically yell your ear off from now until New Years.”

“Don’t tempt me then Artie, 'cause I will.”

At least if it was one thing that the bickering between brothers did it was lead to an amused snort from Oliver, so at least their pointless feuding was enough to make him laugh if only a little and seeming to make him a little more comfortable. Arthur knew that his friend usually wasn’t too keen on new people, but as the car ride to Somerset House progressed, he slowly began to open up and talk more.

Arthur knew full well that his brother was going to ask questions, starting off with the basic things such as how school was going and if he had settled in just fine. If it was one thing that Oliver didn’t mind being asked about was all of the places that he lived at before ending up in the suburbs of London. Truth be told, he had traveled all over the UK with his parent’s work. One year even ending up in France on one of the American bases near Paris so his parents could help train American mechanics. He actually didn’t mind it there for the most part, he did at least learn a little French while he was there.

The car ride continued as such, with Alex continuing to poke and prod Oliver for information though Arthur was at least relieved that his brother was actually for once being more respectful and thinking about his friend’s own comfort level and what he might be alright with actually sharing. That was one thing he could actually give him, was that even though he could be an asshole, when push came to shove he knew when to fall back when it was necessary for the comfort of someone else. Especially for someone like Oliver, whom Alex compared to a jumpy rabbit multiple times along the entirety of the rest of the trip there.

Then again, he wasn’t wrong. But at the very least, he also did find out quite a bit more about his companion that he hadn’t even thought about asking him before. Especially with finding out that he lived in France for a time and knew a little bit of French, or that he knew German. Given his Step-Father, that was no surprise. He likely grew up with it.

Upon arriving to Somerset House, they were met with with a vast array of lights fully covering the building, the large, fully decorated Christmas tree glistened in full view of where they were in the car as they were let off at the sidewalk near the front area. “Um… Are you coming?” Oliver asked, as he himself shuffled out of the car before taking Arthur’s hand as he helped to pull him out of the back seat.

“Yeah yeah, I will be coming. Just gonna go park, yeh go and have fun. Don’t mind me.” Alex merely lazily waved them both away as Arthur pushed the back door closed and the car drove off to go and find to find a parking spot that was at least somewhat close.

“Well then… You heard my brother, and you don’t have to worry, he will come and join us here once he parks the car but he won’t bother us.” Arthur gestured for his companion to follow after him before the other could even at least attempt to formulate some sort of response. By then, he had already turned on heel to make his way toward the building and toward the desk for the skate rentals, Oliver quickly pulling his scarf back up to cover his mouth and nose before following after his host.

“This… Is beautiful, I didn’t know that Somerset House had an outdoor ice skating rink, let alone actually doing something like this on Christmas Eve of all times.” Oliver admittedly was more awe-struck by just how beautiful surrounding area was, so much so that he actually didn’t fully notice the other people around him while they got in line to get their skates.

Arthur couldn’t help but smile at the clear surprise and awe in his tone, ignoring the other people walking around them or standing in line in front and behind them. “It is beautiful, isn’t it? This has been a tradition in my family since I was a little boy, every year on Christmas Eve we would just come here to skate for a few hours or until we got kicked out. I suppose as my brothers and I got older, a lot of the time they didn’t want to do it but it was something that I still wanted to continue to do. So… At least over the past couple of years, Alfred and Matthew have come with me. One of our parents would drop us off and they would go off and do last minute Christmas shopping while we are skating and then pick us up when we are good and ready to go. Of course this year is different and I still of course wanted to come, so I thought you might want to do it is all.”

Oliver had to admit, as he listened to Arthur speak about this little tradition that he clearly loved so much, he was glad that he came. “Um… I do have a confession to make.”

“What is it?” He asked as the pair stepped up to the counter, giving the rental girl a smile. “Good evening, one pair in a men’s eight and… Ollie, what size do you need?”

“Um… Six and a half, please.”

“Yes, you heard him. And one pair of men’s eight, please.” Removing his wallet from his back pocket and handing the woman his card before taking it back not a minute later. Sticking his wallet back into it’s original resting place before taking his own skates and Oliver his before being led to a nearby bench next to the rink. “Oh. I almost forgot for a second. You wanted to tell me something?”

“Um… I have… Never been ice skating before. I can barely stand on roller skates, let alone sometimes on my own two feet but you know that all too well already. So… I am not sure if I will be able to keep up with you or I might hold you back or–” Before Oliver could ramble even further, one finger pressed to his lips over his scarf, much to his surprise, Arthur was smiling.

“You’re alright, I have you. You can hold onto me, and I will try not to let you fall. But if you do fall, I will help you back up so you can try again. How does that sound?” He could see his own breath as he spoke, but at the moment he didn’t particularly care. If he could help ease Oliver’s nerves about this whole thing and if he enjoyed himself, that was what truly mattered. This evening could not have been any more perfect for either, especially with the gentle snow that continued to fall over the entirety of the rink and covered the lit tree in a glistening white.

“Alright… I trust you. Though I will warn you, I will likely fall on my bum quite a bit.” At least there was that note of giddy amusement in his tone again as he took off his tennis shoes before pulling on the ice skates.

“And if you fall on your bum, I will pull you back up and we will just keep on. You will get the hang of it, we are going to be here for a little while. I am sure that you will get your ice legs while we are here.” Giving Oliver a quick pat on the shoulder before turning his attention to pulling off his own shoes and pulling on and tying his own skates, leaning down to pick up both of their pairs of shoes. “Wait here for a second, I will go put these in the cubby.”

Oliver watched Arthur as he got to his feet and made his way toward the rows of cubbies for bags, purses, and shoes, unable to believe just how well he could actually walk on the singular blade as easily as he did. Then again, if he indeed has done this from the time he was young, then it should have come as no surprise to him that he did. Even as he did was he said he was going to do and coming back, the Brit didn’t even attempt to try and get up off of the bench.

He didn’t want to run the chance of falling while trying to get up and embarrass himself in front of so many people from his clear lack of experience and even worse balance. Even so, the look of confidence on Arthur’s face was actually enough to at least make him want to actually try.

“Well, are you ready?” He asked, holding out his hand toward Oliver to help him up to his feet. Hesitantly, he took Arthur’s hand and allowed him to help hoist him up to his feet with a little bit of difficulty. While wobbly as he held onto the other Brit in an effort to gain his balance on the blades, anxiously whimpering if only a little more so under his breath. “Easy, it is alright. None of that, alright? Don’t worry, I have you. I won’t let you fall.”

“I-I know… I really do trust you…” Even though Oliver didn’t fully sound all too confident in his faith in his friend, he did want to do this since this was something that was clearly so important to Arthur. This was just another way to bring him more into his world, to give him another opportunity to get to further get to know him better and for them to get to be closer as friends.

“Easy now, I am going to help you walk to the rink and get you onto the ice. Alright?” Arthur kept his tone as gentle and level as he possibly could, slowly stepping backward with Oliver practically clinging onto him as they made their way toward and onto the rink with Arthur stepping onto it first. “Okay, you can do this. Grab onto the wall, and step in one foot at a time. Keep tight hold on the wall until you feel comfortable enough for me to help take your hands.”

As hesitant as he was, Oliver nodded and did as he was told. Taking a tight hold of the wall, slowly placing one foot onto the ice before the other. He let out a loud yelp when he began to slip and slide, grasping for dear life on that balance-giving god send. As much as he did want to try, this reality check was enough to make him want to stop already and put his shoes back on and just wait for Arthur to be done. “I don’t think I can do this! I can barely even stand!”

“Ollie, it is okay. How about you stay here for a minute while you gain your balance and I get a few quick warm up laps in, how does that sound?” Arthur was at the very least trying to be encouraging, knowing full well just how Oliver could be when he would get overwhelmed with something. Something like this seemed to be no different, however, this was one of those circumstances where he wanted to see him push through his insecurities and his more defeatist attitude that tended to rear it’s ugly head in scenarios like this one. Despite his clear hesitation, he nodded.

“Alright… I may try and move too, but just cling onto the wall until you are ready to get me.”

“Brilliant, I actually fully encourage you to do that. Doing that will help you work on your balance, and when I come get you, I believe that you will be ready. I will be holding your hands, just ignore everyone else around us once we do, alright?”

“But… They won’t get mad because I am having to go slow?”

“Of course not, see, there are parents doing the same thing with their children. You have never done this before, so you have a valid excuse. And if a 'Karen’ does complain, I will flip her off for you. How does that sound?” There was a devious grin on Arthur’s face now despite Oliver’s giggle by his answer, in a way, he was kind of hoping that it would happen now. That way, he could actually tell Alfred and Matthew later that they missed out on him getting to tell off an actual Karen in the wild.

“I… Wouldn’t mind seeing that to be quite honest. Karens make me really uncomfortable.”

“Yes and that would be one of my Christmas presents for you should it happen. This excursion was actually one of the ones I had planned for you.” Well, of course he also did have something else planned for Oliver but it had to wait until they were off of the ice. “I will be right back, at least try and move a little bit along the wall and I will come get you here shortly. How does that sound?”

“Alright, I will see you in a few minutes then.” Oliver smiled underneath his scarf, watching as Arthur gave a nod of his own before taking off like a shot along the ice. He had to admit, this was actually a very cute tradition and he was honored that he actually wanted to share something that was clearly so special to him with him. Maybe it was merely because Alfred and Matthew were gone to go see family, regardless, he was still glad that he came. Despite his own hesitation, he slowly began to move around the rink while keeping his grip on the wall and all the while having some semblance of difficulty finding his footing.

If it was one thing that he did like about this, it was seeing all of the lights as they glistened both all around the building and on the tree, but they highlighted the continued snow fall around them. It truly was such a beautiful sight, there was such a sense of a serene type of beauty followed with that spirit of the season. Oliver watched as Arthur’s brother hopped onto the ice himself, merely giving a quick wave before skating out of sight. Arthur himself as he passed by him the multiple times that he did, waved and grinned at him in return. When he tried to do so back, he had to grab hold of the wall again to keep from losing his footing and falling.

Even so after about fifteen minutes, Arthur came to a stop next to his companion. He had to admit, he was impressed that he was able to make it as far as he had all while having to go as slow as he did all while continuing to hug the wall. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, ignoring that he could see his breath with every little exhale that he took. “Alright, are you ready?”

“I– I don’t know, I don’t want to fall or slow you down or–”

“Ollie. It’s alright. As I have told you several times before, I have you.” As he spoke, Arthur held out his hands toward Oliver, just waiting to see what he would do and if he would trust him enough to take them.

“…” While he was hesitant, Oliver took one hand off of the wall and took a hold of one of the hands that were offered to him.

“See? You are okay, can you give me your other one? I promise that I will help you if you fall.” Continuing with his steady reassurance, Arthur gave him a soft smile before his other hand was filled by Oliver’s. Despite his clear lack of being unsteady on his feet, he allowed himself be slowly pulled forward as Arthur slowly drifted backwards. “There you go, see? You have this. I knew you could do it.”

“I… I am actually doing it… And I am not slipping or falling…” The shock was so prevalent in Oliver’s voice, even as he continued to follow after Arthur’s lead. He allowed that gentle pull, just being led as he got to be far more comfortable on the skates that he once was so hesitant to even put on.

“That’s right, you are! You are simply doing brilliant, just keep holding on tight. You will find your balance quickly enough.”

“I– I didn’t think that I could actually do this.”

“Well, you are doing it. I knew that you could, I had full faith in you.” Arthur’s grin couldn’t have been any bigger than it was as that exact moment, actually finding himself beaming with pride at Oliver’s accomplishment. He was proud of him, he was trusting him to not let him fall. He was doing very well, this was the exact same thing that he had done with Alfred when they were boys and what his Mum had done with him when he was first learning how to skate. Only, this was different. This sort of closeness was what he was actually hoping for when he started to plan this little trip.

“And I haven’t fallen once!”

“Don’t say that, you don’t want to jinx it now, do you?” Asking with a chuckle as the pair continued with their slow glide around the ice as the other skaters raced past them.

“Get a room why dontcha?!” Alex called out to the two of them as he whizzed right past them, before Arthur could yell an insult right back at him, Oliver had lost his footing with a loud yelp out of surprise and pulled him right on down with him.

“BLOODY GIT– GET BACK HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!” Arthur snapped back with a snarl, only to be met with laughter at his and Oliver’s own expense.

“Owwww…”

“Arsehole… Are you alright Ollie?”

“Yes… I am alright… I just fell flat on my bum, that’s all.”

“Well, at least you are okay. That’s what matters, and with this being your first fall, you can only go up from here. I will get back at Alex later.” Sighing with a shake of his head as he got back up onto his knees, tapping at his shoulders. “Place your hands on my shoulders and hoist yourself up, I will hold you at the waist if you are struggling, alright?”

“…” Oliver merely nodded, following Arthur’s instructions as he placed his hands onto his shoulders and pushed himself up with some shaky difficulty back up onto his feet with the Brit holding to his word and taking him by the waist to steady him once again. Fully making sure he was settled, he got back to his own feet before brushing off the ice shavings off of the both of them.

“There we go, no harm done. Are you ready to try again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope that you are all enjoying so far, and the final part will be coming on Christmas Eve next week. <3~


	3. Merry Christmas Ollie

The pair continued to skate over the next few hours, Oliver after about the third hour actually finally started to get the hang of it and could at least try and skate on his own without Arthur's help with only a few falls to follow with laughter as an end result from the both of them. Having to assist in getting the other off of the rink and to the bench to take their skates off after they had both gotten their fill of the ice, he at least wanted to follow through with another promise of the evening that he had while his brother was still gone.

"Did you have fun?"

"Once I got the hang of it... Yes, I really did. Thank you so much for inviting me, this is likely one of the best Christmas Eves in recent years that I can really remember." Despite being as cold and red-faced as he was because of the crisp winter air, Oliver was at least relieved that it covered the heavy blush that he could feel rising up into his cheeks.

"You are very welcome, I thought that you would enjoy it. As I told you earlier, this is something that is special to me and I wanted to be able to share that with you. Now, as promised. I will take the skates back, get our shoes, and get us some hot chocolate. How does that sound?" 

Admittedly, it was really quite cute with Oliver immediately perked up at the mere mention of it. At least it was something that would warm him up and he would just deal with the consequences later, it was Christmas so what was the harm? "That sounds wonderful, thank you! Are you sure? I mean-- I can pay for mine at least if I need to!"

"Not at all, I told you that I would pay for you so you don't have to worry about paying me back. You paid me in cookies, remember?" Asking with a smile and a wink after he pulled off his own skates and Oliver the same, Arthur got up to take them back and to fulfill and get the prize that they both clearly had earned. After about ten minutes of waiting, Arthur returned with both of their pairs of shoes tucked under his arm and two cups of steaming hot chocolate in his hands. "Alright, here we go. Drink up!"

Oliver gladly took his own, setting it down on the bench next to him before picking up and putting his tennis shoes back on first. "I will once it cools silly." He was grinning himself, picking the cup back up before lightly beginning to tap his fingers on the soothing warmth of the styrofoam. Watching for a brief moment as Arthur did the same, before taking a seat next to his friend. 

"Yes, right sorry. Wouldn't want to burn yourself, they like to make it exceptionally warm here." There was a warmth in Arthur's tone as he spoke, unconsciously tapping at the lid himself while the pair watched the other patrons on the rink from their little spot off to the side. The snow by now had ceased, leaving only the soft breeze of the winter air. He actually couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening.

"I noticed... Did you have them add marshmallows to it?"

"Of course I did. What sort of barbarian would I be if I didn't have them add marshmallows?"

"I don't know, I would question your integrity if you didn't have them add them." This was the sort of back and forth between them that Oliver loved so much, even now, it was difficult for him to even wrap his head around the mere fact that just five months ago they were practically strangers. Arthur and Alfred tasked to help him get used to their school, now he considered them to be two of his best friends. He was actually happy at this academy, he actually found himself fitting in there. He actually had friends. He wasn't the loner that he had been for so long, he didn't want to leave. If it was one thing he knew, was that the Brit next him was actually integral in all of it. He couldn't have been more grateful for his help, to the point where he felt comfortable enough to open up about his most personal issues with Arthur behind closed doors.

He had never done that with anyone else.

"I thought you might say that, I wouldn't let you down like that." Thinking that the cocoa in his hand may have at least cooled enough to drink comfortably, taking a quick sip of the warm liquid. It was still hot, but it was tolerable now. "You know... I'm glad that you decided to come with me. You deserved to have a positive and memorable Christmas Eve."

"Well... I can tell you for sure that it was. It was nice... As I said earlier, I've never really been ice skating before. What are the odds too that we actually are having a White Christmas this year as well? It was quite honestly just... Perfect is the only way that I can describe it." Oliver replied with a smile of his own, perking at the constant single buzzes of his phone in his pocket. He would check his messages later, he just wanted to remain in the moment even as he took a small sip of the hot chocolate. At least it was cool enough for him now so he could properly enjoy it.

"I... Actually don't disagree, it was nice. It was also an added bonus to get away from the usual bickering at home that happens every year."

Oliver couldn't help but giggle in return, nodding in agreement. "I... Don't disagree. They can help Mum and Pop this year, I've done enough with a lot of my time having been in the kitchen."

"Is it normal for you to want to give sweets as Christmas presents?"

"Of course it is, since I really don't get much of an allowance and I'm not working right now, it's the best way for me to get presents to those I care about since I can make a lot in one go and divvy them out. But... This is the first year since I started doing this that I've actually been able to bake for friends to enjoy."

"I imagine that was actually exciting for you. I can tell you that the cookies and fudge you gave me was wonderful."

"Don't tell me you ate all of it already."

"...Most of it to be quite honest. I had to bribe Alex with a few cookies to get him to agree to bring us."

"I didn't think my cookies were that good, but I will take that as a high compliment." 

"It is a high compliment, I wouldn't let anyone else touch them. But we needed a ride and it was the only bargaining chip that I had."

"Well, to make up for your great sacrifice, I will give you a few more. I made plenty, and I made gingerbread earlier."

"I'll take the gingerbread." Arthur replied with a grin of his own, taking another long sip of his cocoa as Oliver did the same. It was still baffling to him sometimes that this bubbly, energetic kid sitting next to him was once so shy and timid, questioning everything that he did and said. The personal growth over the past months that Oliver exhibited was incredible, actually getting him to be comfortable enough to see the school counselor as well really did help him fully blossom.

"I thought you might say that, my gingerbread quite frankly is second to none."

"That I can believe you about, given how quickly your Christmas gifts have gone."

"Well... Quite honestly, I feel a little bad that I couldn't do more for you. I mean... You invited and paid for me to join you for something as wonderful as this, and all I could give you was Christmas sweets."

"I can tell you right now that you have nothing to concern yourself over, what you did was plenty. However... There is something that I wanted to ask you, and if you said yes, that would likely more than make up for you thinking that you haven't done enough." God Arthur hated that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, especially once his nerves threatened to get the better of him. It wasn't often that he got like this, taking a long drink of his hot chocolate in an effort to calm himself once again only to look over to see the look of pure confusion on Oliver's face.

"Ask me something? What did you want to ask me? Are... You alright? You look to be kinda flushed."

"Yes-- Yes, I'm fine. It's the cold you see, you're quite red yourself so it's not just me." Teasingly giving Oliver a light poke at his cheek, at least he wasn't lying when he said that he was quite red himself. He most certainly was, though his was far more likely due to the cold. His own was for a far different reason.

"That's because of the chill in the air silly. Don't try and change the subject, what did you want to ask me?"

"Alright... Well... I know that we have gotten to be quite close over the past few months, and I consider you to be a very dear friend already but..." Arthur paused for a moment as though trying to collect his thoughts, the flash of distress on Oliver's face however didn't escape his notice before quickly responding. "I'm not ending our friendship if that's what you're thinking! I was-- I wanted to-- I was wondering if you might actually consider this to be an actual... Um... Date."

"...Are you trying to ask me out?"

"NO--" Arthur stated with a quick start before realizing exactly what he was saying, sighing as he began to tap at the lid of his cup once again. "... Y-...Yes. I am. I've gotten to be quite fond of you, I just want to see you be happy and I admittedly wanted to get to you first before certain other people did. I'm not going to name names either, so don't try and get them out of me."

"..." Oliver couldn't bring himself to respond right away, if anything, he was glad and relieved that his face was already as red as it was since it hid the mere fact that it had flushed even darker by the admission to the point where his ears began to burn. "...There were others too?"

"Yes-- But that's besides the point! If you don't want to say yes, I entirely understand. I don't want to ruin our friendship just because of a stupid crush."

"...You know? I've actually had a little bit of a crush on you for a while now, I just didn't know where exactly we fell on that sort of a spectrum. So... I'm actually surprised that you like me in the same way. I mean... I didn't expect it and just..."

"You had a crush on me too?" Arthur asked, surprise ringing clear in his tone as he stared at the clearly tomato red face of Oliver's that he tried to hide underneath his scarf and the hood of his coat.

"...Yes, but I didn't want to say anything I mean--... Since Francis keeps making passes at you, I just thought--"

"He can piss right off, that boat won't sail again no matter how hard he tries. So... Now that we have gotten that out of the way... What do you say?"

"...You know? I like the idea that this was our first official date." The soft happiness in Oliver's tone was enough to melt Arthur's heart, allowing a smile of his own before reaching over with his free hand and took Oliver's hand in his own.

"To be quite honest? Me too."

"And on Christmas Eve... This was I think the best present that you could have given me."

"Quite the contrary Ollie... You did that for me. Merry Christmas."

"...Merry Christmas Arthur." Scooting closer toward his now boyfriend to where their sides pressed onto each other's, just allowing themselves to enjoy the other's company as they continued to watch the other skaters fly around the rink over the rest of their hot chocolate now mostly cool in their styrofoam cups.

It didn't matter, even though it was a day early, they both got what they truly wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope that y'all enjoyed this fluffy little story as much as I enjoyed writing it, so this is a relationship to continue to watch as Polaroid continues. Thank you for all of the continued support, and y'all have been pushing me both here and on Tumblr to keep going. Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful holiday! <3

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you to everyone reading Polaroids so far, this side story is my Christmas present for y'all! I wrote most of it for NaNoWriMo, and the final part is coming on Christmas Eve. So I hope you are excited as I am for sharing. Enjoy!


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